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Don’t get in a pixel! Let Canva take the strain

OK, get ready and tick off how many of these you’re familiar with.

 

  • Tweet

  • Fleet

  • Instagram Post

  • Instagram Story

  • Facebook post

  • Facebook Story

  • LinkedIn banner

  • Facebook Ad

  • Instagram Ad

  • Pinterest Pin

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You get the picture. You may only know some of these formats. Next questions: -

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  • What are the optimum image dimensions in pixels you need for each of these to make sure they work effectively on each social media platform?

  • Do you have a strong and relevant image to use?

  • Have you got text over-laying the image?

  • How about including a video clip?

 

Many people may have given up by now, concluding social media is too difficult. I wouldn’t blame you. There is a lot of detail to absorb. But that’s where Canva comes in and does the heavy lifting for you.

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First, create yourself a Canva account at canva.com. There is a very good free version to get you started, with the option to upgrade for greater functionality and more free images and videos to use. Once you’re logged in, Canva presents you with a nice dashboard, giving you the design options it provides. By selecting “Social media” you can now see many of the content options listed above.

Canva dashboard.jpg

Rolling your mouse over any of these immediately tells you the pixel size of any posts created. For those who are desperate to know, an Instagram image post is 1080 x 1080 pixels, a Facebook post 940 x 788 pixels, and a Twitter post is 1600 x 900 pixels. But with Canva, you really don’t need to memorise these.


Let’s assume you’re looking to create an impactful image to post to your Instagram account. Once selected, you have a blank template (at the correct size), but don’t panic about how you’re going to make it look amazing! On the left of the screen are options to add your own photos if you have them, include text and other elements, and lots of ready-to-use templates.


Searching the templates with the word success brings up lots of templates you can use, and selecting one will populate your previously blank content area.

Canva template.jpg

Canva uses a simple WYSIWYG interface - What You See Is What You Get - basically, there is no coding or anything complex to master to produce a beautiful and impactful design. I can now click into the text and edit as I would do in a Word processor, with options now appearing in the toolbar above to resize, change colour, background colour, adjust alignment, etc. etc.


Two minutes later, my own (supposed) words of wisdom now flow from the image that will be your post.

Canva - me post.jpg

Maybe it’s still not grabbing you, so let’s add some video by selecting that option from the tabs on the left and then select one to replace your image. [Note - more video clips are available with Canva Pro, but there are still many good ones on the free version of Canva] In a matter of seconds, I now have video incorporated into my post. It’s worth remembering, moving images, whether video or animation, consistently outperform static images, so if there’s an option to use, give it a go.

Canva - post with video.jpg

If you’re happy with your creation, it’s time to download it so you can post it to your Instagram feed. Canva makes this easy with the prominent “Download” button in the top corner and then giving you the preferred file format of your creation.

Canva - download.jpg

And there you have it. In a matter of minutes I have an image that is pixel perfect for Instagram, with a pleasant image or video, all ready to be shared with my Instagram followers. It really is that easy with Canva. So why not check it out today and let me know how you get on.